Visitors at many of Georgia’s state parks, wildlife management areas and natural areas this winter are in for a treat: an up-close glimpse of habitat restoration in progress as trained “firelighters” set controlled, prescribed fires to the forest understory.

These dormant-season burns, taking place outside most plants’ active growing season, improve habitat for dozens of native plant and animal species by opening up overgrown areas of the forest floor. The fires also reduce fuel loads that could spark costly and dangerous wildfires.

One major species that benefits from prescribed fire is the longleaf pine, a stately tree that once blanketed the American Southeast but is now found in a fraction of its historic territory. A healthy longleaf pine forest can play host to an amazing diversity of native animal species, including some that have been threatened in recent years, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise and eastern indigo snake.

Conservation is very much on the minds of the firelighters themselves.

Each prescribed burn is ignited and monitored by a crew consisting of park staff, volunteers, and state and federal environmental employees. The core is the Interagency Burn Team, which includes agencies and organizations such as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy and the Georgia Forestry Commission, plus a seasonal prescribed-fire strike team.

The strike team is assembled and trained by the DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section. This marks the third year DNR has hired a crew for prescribed fire, and the 2011 crew is double the size of last year’s, thanks to a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Last year proved a banner year for this eco-burning team, which helped with prescribed burns on more than 25,660 acres. Goals for this year include more than 20,000 acres, weather willing.

The strike team mixes veterans and newcomers. Members hail from six states and bring to the table varied experiences in environmental and conservation work, ranging from organic farming to trail construction, exotic plant removal to environmental education. Three of the crew are interns with the Student Conservation Association, or SCA, an organization that matches applicants with environmental positions in parks and natural areas across the U.S. The other three members were SCA interns on the 2010 crew and are now seasonal DNR employees.

One thing unites the crew: a love for fire, and a keen interest in watching fire refresh and restore biodiversity to a fire-suppressed landscape. The signing earlier this month of a prescribed fire proclamation by Gov. Nathan Deal supports this sentiment. The signing kicked off Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, which recognizes prescribed fire as a safe way to apply a natural process that is healthy for wildlife and people. Prescribed fire helps maintain Georgia’s diverse wildlife and safeguard property and air quality by reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

At the end of a successful prescribed fire, a burned area consists of fire-blackened ground, often devoid of living vegetation, dotted only with stubs of scorched plants and patches of toasted pine straw. To the unsuspecting passerby, the area often looks like a wasteland that might never grow anything again.

“I can understand why they would see that, because on the surface, everything’s black,” says seasoned firelighter and DNR crew leader Shan Cammack. “But I would invite them to come back in a month or two, to see the life that comes back after a fire, more diverse and vibrant than before.”

The public is encouraged to visit one of these special places in Georgia. Enjoy a walk in the woods. Visitors may even get to witness this important management tool in action or talk with one of the conservationists dedicated to restoring rare species habitat.

The agency’s use of fire to manage habitats and meet Wildlife Action Plan goals also includes traditional game management practices. DNR’s Game Management Section burned an additional 32,845 acres on wildlife management areas last year. Game Management is responsible for land management efforts on Wildlife Resources Division state-owned properties.

“The use of fire to help manage wildlife, especially game species, has a history predating European colonization,” said Mark Whitney, Game Management Section chief. “The department has employed this highly beneficial practice since the department’s inception.”